


Persuade Me

by BuzzCat



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 01:18:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4686995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuzzCat/pseuds/BuzzCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elizabeth sails the seas and meets an old friend. He can't stay though, because she has plans he can't know and owes a debt she has to pay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Persuade Me

As Elizabeth stood at the mast, feeling the wind in her hair and relishing its soft whispers around her ankles, she knew that this would be the last time. It was time for her to stop running. Sailing, no, but running. Elizabeth would never stop sailing.

“Orders, Captain?” asked her first mate, standing on the stairs. Elizabeth was quiet a moment, making her peace with what was about to happen,

“Allow the captain to board us.” She said. The first mate nodded,

“Allow the captain to board!” he shouted. Elizabeth knew the ship that had come up alongside her. She knew the sails, the deck, and the feel of it. She knew her way from the captain’s quarters to the brig. The _Black Pearl_. There was a thud behind her and Elizabeth was in no way surprised to find Captain Jack Sparrow swaggering down her deck toward her,

“Lizzy, it has been too long.” He said. Elizabeth turned and lost her breath. She hadn’t laid eyes on him in five years, but five years had a funny habit of changing a man. He looked older, like even after he’d seen all there was of the world some part of it still reared up and made him think he’d seen too much. But his eyes still sparkled with mischief when he looked at her (or at least she told herself it was mischief). She put her hands behind her back,

“Hello, Jack. To what do I owe the honor of your illustrious presence?”

“Can’t a humble subject come visit his King?” he asked, sweeping a low bow. Elizabeth wanted so badly to smile, to laugh, but that would encourage him. She needed to see him before she stopped running for good, but now that she had, he had to leave. If he stayed, she’d tell him everything and that must not happen. She stood tall,

“Jack, as glad as I am that you’re alive, you need to leave.”

“Oh come now Lizzie, that’s hardly the way to treat your guests, is it? Now, where’s that rum?”

“The rum is gone, Jack, just like you need to be.” She said. He looked at her face and it seemed to dawn on him that she wasn’t kidding. He leaned forward until he was up beside her, studying her face for any signs of deception,

“What’s wrong, Elizabeth?”

“Nothing Jack. You have to go.” She said. She tried to push him away but he had none of it, putting a hand on her lower arm. Elizabeth couldn’t look at him.

“Now if that was true, I’d find young William here, wouldn’t I?” he said. Elizabeth spun to face him, hair flying and bright pain and anger flashing in her eyes,

“Don’t bring him into this!” she said, fury coloring her tone in white hot red anger. Jack looked confused and then Elizabeth realized, anger disappearing and replaced by a certain amount of resignation,

“You don’t know.”

“I know quite a lot; it would form a very long list. But that current coordinates of our young Mister Turner, I’m afraid, are not currently on that list.” He said. Again, Elizabeth found herself unable to look at him,

“He left me.” She tossed her hair behind her head and strengthened her resolve to not cry, “He thought he had found himself a quiet kind English lady.”

“The devil help the whelp for being so blind.” said Jack. Elizabeth couldn’t help the bitter smile that rose to her face,

“He left me to marry a true kind quiet English lady.” She said. Jack didn’t quite know what to do with that. He’d always pegged Will as a bit of an idiot when it came to Elizabeth, but he hadn’t known that said idiocy reached as far as actually leaving her. Elizabeth was looking out over the ocean, standing a few feet away from him on the deck, when she suddenly turned back to him,

“We’re losing time. You need to leave.”

“Where are you going? I’ll follow. Don’t have much of a heading right now, myself.” He said. Elizabeth shook her head,

“No, don’t follow me.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, “I’m going to stop running. There are circumstances I have to make my peace with and people I need to see before I can stop. Unfinished business to attend to.” She gave him a pointed look, “People I need to persuade off my ship.” Jack smirked as he walked up to her, leaning his back on the railing as he said,

“Persuade me.” And suddenly, he was too close. Just like that, Elizabeth was back on that ship years ago, trying to get the letters back from Jack with Norrington watching and making knowing comments he had no right to make. And yet, despite all her intentions, Elizabeth still felt herself drawn to him. He was leaning down and she was staring up and it was only when she could count every eyelash and freckle on his face that Elizabeth realized exactly how close he was. And she kissed him.

It was a different kiss than the one they’d shared as she chained him to the mast. That one had been salty tears and heartache with passion and confusion thrown in for good measure. That one had hurt her deeply. This one hurt even more, but differently. This hurt more because it was so familiar. This was their good-bye kiss and Jack still didn’t know it. She dragged herself away to come up for air and each of them was gasping. Elizabeth stepped back,

“You have to leave. Don’t follow me. Besides, you said it yourself years ago. It never would have worked out between us.”

“Well, I suppose that may have been one of those blue-moon occasions where I was…wrong.” said Jack. Elizabeth shook her head, maintaining a bland smile as best she could,

“No, you were quite right. We’d never work out together. In fact, it might be better if we never met again.” she said. Jack looked at her in surprise. Elizabeth breezed away from his side, moving as if in a dream and she gestured at the wooden plank he’d come across on, “Go back to the  _Pearl_ , Jack. You and I are done.”

“But…I love you.” said Jack and in that moment, he sounded so lost and still a little confused. Elizabeth shook her head and tried to hide her trembling lip,

“No you don’t.” Before he could say anything else and before she could start crying, Elizabeth turned and walked away, leaving him no option but to return to his ship. The oceans weren’t that big, he had no doubt he’d run into her again when she was in a more agreeable mood. The plank was pulled back and soon the Black Pearl was only a speck on the horizon. Elizabeth watched it sail away and felt something physically pain her heart. And yet, making Jack leave was for the best. It was better he didn’t see this part. She stood at the helm, watching the oceans and waiting. Her crew knew what she awaited, as Elizabeth made sure each was explicitly aware of the journey’s end. The ship jolted suddenly and Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut. She pulled the wrapped bandages off her hand and stared at the decayed black spot in the middle of her palm. As the tentacles crept up the side of the ship and the wood creaked and rolled beneath her, Elizabeth whispered to herself,

“I love you too.”


End file.
